Bronx Requiem by John Clarkson
Wednesday, December 14, 2016 at 7:56AM 
Published by St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books on November 8, 2016
Too many thrillers send the message that good prevails over evil because good guys are bigger and stronger and probably have Special Forces training. There’s a little of that in Bronx Requiem (two big, strong guys duke it out in a good vs. evil confrontation), but the more refreshing message is that good guys can beat bad guys by appealing to the decency in common people, by encouraging a community to stand up and fight back against its evil elements.
James Beck is released from prison after his conviction for killing a cop is eventually reversed on appeal. Beck made one true friend in prison, a righteous con named Paco Johnson. When it is finally Johnson’s turn to be released, Beck helps arrange Johnson’s parole. When things don’t go well for Paco in the real world, Beck pursues justice.
Paco has a daughter named Amelia. Things haven’t worked out well for Amelia, who finds herself wanting to kill Derrick Watkins, the pimp who controls her life with regular beatings. Other people are gunning for Watkins, literally and figuratively, including the police and, soon enough, Beck.
Police detective John Palmer doesn’t think a cop killer should ever be released from jail, even if the cop was killed in self-defense. He wants to send Beck back to prison and he’s willing to manipulate evidence and coerce witnesses to lie if that’s what it takes. But Palmer has a deeper connection to the story that becomes clear as the novel progresses.
The story pits Beck against the police, against gangs, and against the person he’s really after, although identifying that person requires some effort. John Clarkson introduces a variety of believable characters, most of whom walk along a path that has them doing bad things for good reasons. The plot is sufficiently complex to be interesting but not so complex as to be messy. The ending stirs the right emotions without becoming sappy, and the final chapter holds a nice surprise.
John Clarkson’s surefooted prose conveys the story without using clichés or calling attention to itself. He delivers enough action and suspense to keep the story moving at a brisk pace, but the story’s strength comes from characters who band together to help each other and to help the powerless triumph over the powerful.
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